


Half my soul

by Mira_A_Henss



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge Friendship, M/M, Minor Archie Andrews/Geraldine Grundy | Jennifer Gibson, Minor Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Past Relationship(s), Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24460801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira_A_Henss/pseuds/Mira_A_Henss
Summary: Just an AU of the first season, where Jughead and Veronica are friends, or half of each other's soul, as they say.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper & Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. You come into my life

"One adult, please." he hears a voice say and his breath hitches in his throat.

"God, I want someone to visit the drive-in so badly that I have started hallucinating. I have started hallucinating an entire person. This is a new low even for me." he thinks, lifting his eyes slowly, as though to hold on to the hallucination for a little longer, even if it's just for a few more seconds. He lifts his eyes to see a girl staring at him, her arm extended towards him, a twenty-dollar bill in her hand. His first thought is 'she doesn't belong here' and she really doesn't. Her car is probably more expensive than the houses in Riverdale, her designer clothes more expensive than a year's fees in Riverdale High, the string of pearls around her neck probably costs more than what he makes in an entire year. But she doesn't look like she has stepped out of a perfect movie where everyone gets a happily-ever-after and nothing ever goes wrong, doesn't look like she belongs to a world devoid of tragedies and mysteries. Her eyes are bright, but there's no innocence or naivety in them. He wonders if she had them snatched from her too, too soon, too cruelly.

"Here you go." he says, taking the bill from her and tears a ticket from the ticket sheet. Shoves it into her hand. He thinks he must have forgotten how to do this, from months of not doing it, but surprises himself by realizing that he still knows to do it. "I'm sorry but I don't have any change."  
"No problem." the girl says, grinning. "I'll be back tomorrow."

He snorts out of habit and does not believe it for a second. This is better, he thinks, to expect the worst from everyone and not be surprised when they do the exact same thing than to hope for something and being let down, every, single, time. No one wants to come to the drive-in, anymore, except him. He wonders if he would want to if he didn't actually live at the drive-in but knows he would want to come anyway. Sitting in a car, watching a movie for a few hours and forgetting everything going on. If he had been rich to own a car. Then, he remembers that his family, hadn't even been rich, isn't even rich to afford the tickets at the drive-in and pushes it out of his thoughts.

"Let's see." he mumbles and she smiles at him. He can't read what she's thinking, what she's hiding behind the smile, if she's hiding anything beside the smile.

"Veronica Lodge." she says, extending her hand and looks at him, expectantly. He would probably roll his eyes and get back to his homework but something stops him. Something says 'not this time' in his head. If there was one thing that he was always proud of, it was that that he was rational and never believed in fate, destiny or anything of that kind. He always thought that humans could change their presents, their futures with the smallest decisions, with the smallest actions and their fates were theirs to bend, to break, to make into something else. But something makes him take the girl's, Veronica's hand. In a world of choice, the girl before him seems inevitable.

"Jughead Jones the third." he says, shaking her hand.  
She scrunches up her nose at that but doesn't say anything and he is thankful. He had grown up his entire childhood receiving flak for his name and he would rather take her reaction to it than the mocking smiles and looks of disbelief.

"Jughead Jones the third, if the drive-in remains as empty as it is now, would you like to watch the movie with me?" she asks and he waits for her to laugh in his face, tell him it was a joke. But she stares at him earnestly and he nods. She gives him a small smile and drives away. Jughead spends the next fifteen minutes staring alternatively at the only car, her car in the drive-in and the gate, waiting for another car to enter. When the latter doesn't happen, he sighs and walks to her car, locking the booth behind him.

"Wasn't sure you were going to come." she says as he sits down beside her.  
"Wasn't sure you really wanted me to." he says, looking at her and she looks at him, for a moment, before looking back at the screen.  
"I'm new to Riverdale." she says and he snorts.  
"Totally didn't guess that." he says and she gives him a mock-glare. "We share two classes. English A.P. and American History."  
"I know. I noticed. Your beanie's kind of hard to miss." she says, nonchalantly and his mouth forms a perfect 'O'. He hadn't thought someone like her would notice someone like him.

"So, how was your week?" he asks, changing the subject and hoping his beanie is covering the tip of his ears which are undoubtedly pink now.  
"I don't know. It was hard with all the whispers and the glares. And I keep pretending I'm above all of it and like I don't care but it still hurts. And I don't know how much longer I can keep it up." she says. He stares at her blankly, not knowing what to say. He had been expecting a 'it was fine' or 'it was okay' and was prepared to leave it at that. He doesn't know if he should comfort her or say it'll become easier with time.

"That sucks." he ends up saying and she gives him a grateful smile.  
"Yeah." she says, turning to watch the movie again. "This is my favorite movie of all time."  
'Dead Poet's Society' is playing and he has to admit it is one of his favorites too. He loves each and every character and each and every second of the film. He mentally approves of her taste in movies.  
"Mine too." he says in a small voice.

"God, what wouldn't I give to live in the fifties, go to a private boarding school, wear crisp white shirts, read classics and poetry, learn English and Latin and History, sneak out with my friends to talk about poetry, politics and books." she says, sighing miserably and he smiles at her.  
"Yeah. Me too. That honestly sounds so good." he says, sighing. They lapse into silence again, watching the film, intently.  
"I always cry at this scene. Don't mind me." she says, brushing a tear off her cheek and turns to look at him. "Are you crying too?"  
"No." he says, too quickly and rubs at his eyes, indiscreetly.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." she says, grinning and he glares at her. They sit in silence until the end credits and he stares at her, not knowing what to do. He checks his phone and pretends that someone actually texts him.  
"Do you want one?" she asks, switching on the overhead light and holds up a cigarette. He squints at it before he realizes it's a joint.  
"Why?" he asks and mentally face-palms himself.  
"It's been a shitty week and is only a few steps away from becoming a shitty life." she says, shrugging and he realizes that's exactly how he feels. "This may not fix it, but it'll at least help me stop thinking about it for a few hours."  
"Yeah sure." he says, looking at her and they take turns smoking it.

_'Forgive me. Forgive me for you are beautiful and I wish I could write about your bright brown eyes and the way they sparkle against the small overhead light in your too expensive car but I have been enamored with a pair of hazel ones for as long as I can remember, even before the world taught me that it was wrong. I wish I could write about your jet-black hair, how it resembles the darkness, and how I thought I was the only one drowning in, until you came with a wrinkled twenty dollar bill to a drive-in, no one wants to come to anymore and proved me wrong but I have been in love with a hair that looks like it's been set aflame, the one that keeps from the darkness, the one that keeps me warm. Forgive me for you are half my soul but he's my heart. For you are what I need but he's what I want. For I wish I could love you but I do not know how to stop loving him.'_

"That was brilliant." she says, turning to look at him, her mouth open in shock and he stares at her. Feels his face burn in shame.  
"Did- Did I say that out loud?" he asks and she nods, looking at him with a mixture of sadness and amusement.  
"There's nothing to forgive." she says, softly, taking his hand in hers. "You're allowed to love who you love. It's not wrong."  
"I- Thank you." he says.  
"Andrews' fan club is larger than I thought." she says, a small smile on her lips.  
He backs against the door, contemplates running away from her and never coming back. Wishes he had never taken the joint from her.

"Don't worry. I won't tell him anything." she says and gives his hand a squeeze before pulling away. He knows that he has been let down by everyone in his life before but something tells him the girl sitting opposite him, in her expensive car and designer clothes, with a hand playing with the pearls on her neck, with seemingly nowhere else to go after school on a Friday evening will not be the same as everyone else and decides to trust her. If she proves otherwise, he doesn't care, he thinks to himself. And pretends that he really doesn't care.

They sit in silence and he embraces the feeling of not stressing over everything, all the time. He closes his eyes and leans against the car seat, propping his legs on the dashboard. They make small talk and he realizes they are more alike than either of them know. Both of their favorite colors are black, both of them have daddy issues and knows what's it like to have a dysfunctional family, both of them had shitty childhoods, both of them love Richard Siken, both of them like their English teacher and both of them write as a way of coping. He knows, logically, that he has known her only for a few hours but it feels like finally, he has found someone who just gets him without him having to explain everything about him.

"Am I half your soul, Jughead?" she asks, a teasing grin on her lips, quoting his passionate speech about Archie Andrews.  
"That was not me. That was this." he saying, jerking his head towards the joint.  
"It was still your thoughts." she says, smiling. "I like it. Half your soul."  
"You can be if you want to." he says, shrugging.  
"I do." she says, smiling and starts the car. "I have to get home."

"Will you reach safe?" he asks, getting down near the booth and she laughs.  
"Save your number." she says, shoving her phone in his hands and looks at him. "You sure you don't want me to drop you home?"  
"It's okay. My house's nearby. I can walk. Text me after you reach." he says and smiles at her.  
"Today was great but we are not doing the you-know-what again." she says and he nods at her.

"Okay. See you tomorrow." he says and waves until her car disappears around the corner before walking into the booth and collapsing into his bed. He looks around and wonders where he's going to go in two weeks, after the drive-in is closed forever. He pretends to go over some options like he actually has a place to go, a place where he belongs, a place where someone wants him. He has a history quiz in two days and had promised himself to start studying. But he feels exhausted to the bone and a little happy. He pretends it's because of the joint and not the girl who gave it to him. He walks to the gate of the drive-in and locks it before crashing in his bed and closing his eyes.

She comes in the next day, just as promised but in her River Vixen's uniform and he smiles at her.  
"Bring your history textbook." she says, holding up her own textbook. "We'll prepare for the quiz after the movie."

He doesn't wait for fifteen minutes this time but grabs his textbook and walks briskly to her car. He almost expects her to not know the movie playing today but she does. They talk mostly about the movie but they also talk a little about school. She tells him about the feud between Cheryl and Betty, how she kissed Betty to spite Cheryl, her epic takedown of Cheryl and he wishes he had seen it in real life. She talks about Betty a lot and after the first ten minutes, he decides that her relationship with Betty is not anything even remotely resembling platonic. He tells her she's amazing and that he's proud of her. Teases her a little about Betty. She turns bright red at Betty's name and he thinks it's quite endearing. The minute the film gets over, she makes him read every page and they take turns asking each other questions until he thinks he’ll spontaneously combust if has to read another word.

She texts him to say that she has reached safely and this time, he is awake to text her back. He texts back a smiley face and falls asleep.

They sit next to each other in the two classes they share and she also helps him a little with his Spanish after they finish watching the movie. He learns that Spanish is her mother tongue and that she is fluent in four languages. They talk a little about school, homework and Jason's murder. She doesn't bring up Archie thankfully and he resists the urge to smirk when she starts another speech about Betty.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones." the history teacher calls and he walks to the front of the class to collect his test sheet. His teacher's wide eyes never leave his face as he walks back to his seat and he realizes why when he sees that he has scored a perfect 100 on the quiz. He turns to catch her eye and shows her his paper. She gives him a proud grin and shows her paper too. A 100. He rips a piece of paper from a notebook and scribbles a 'I love you' hastily. She reads it, catches his eye and smiles. Writes something too. 'I love you, too'.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones, Veronica Lodge. Out." their teacher says, glaring and they both walk out, muttering a soft 'sorry'. He wraps her arms around her as they walk down the corridor and thanks her.  
"Don't be idiot, Jones." she says and rolls her eyes.

It's the day before the Back-to-School dance and she shows him a picture of the dress she's wearing to the dance. Waits for his approval. Asks him if he'll come to the dance. Doesn't push him when he refuses. Seems actually sad when he refuses. He promises to let her read his novel about Jason in consolation. She brightens at that and promises to meet him at Pop's after the dance. He knows that she is sad that she is going to the dance with Betty but it is not in the way that she wants. Doesn't know if he should feel pity for her or anger that she gets to go with Betty at all. That she can dance with Betty and call it platonic. That she can hold hands with Betty and no one will throw them second glances. That she can kiss Betty on the cheek and won't receive death threats. That he can never get to do that with the boy he likes. Doesn't know if he should cheer her up or pretend it doesn't matter, the way she does. Instead, he launches into an intense discussion about the movie they just watched and hopes it is enough, for now.

"I messed up." she says, sinking into his shoulder and he wraps her arms around her. He's still shaken up by his encounter with Archie at Pop's. Still rattled by how exchanging a few words with him makes him feel every emotion a human feels in their lifetime. Wonders if Archie will finally wake up and realize that he belongs with Betty. Wonders if he has any chance of ending up with Archie.

She recounts the incident at Cheryl's and starts crying halfway through. Apologizes to him for kissing Archie. Admits that she has no idea why she did it. Starts crying again when she realizes Betty will never want to speak to her again. He wipes her tears away and holds her until she stops crying. Encourages her to apologize to Betty. Assures her that he's not mad at her for kissing Archie. Promises her that she's half his soul, no matter what. Walks her to the Pembrooke and hugs her goodbye. Tells her to text him if she wants to talk.

"Before I came to Pop's, you looked somewhat shaken, did something happen?" she asks, just realizing it.  
"Nothing important. We'll talk about it tomorrow." he says. She nods at him and waits for him to disappear from her sight before going into the Pembrooke.

"You don't have to, Andrews. It's okay." Veronica says as they step out of Pop's, turning to look at Archie. Wishes her mom didn't practically force Archie into walking her home.  
"I want to, Veronica." he says, not meeting her eye. "Unless you don't want me to."  
"It's okay." she says and starts walking in the direction of the Pembrooke.  
"I'm sorry for kissing you that night. I have no clue why I did that. I don't even know what I was thinking." he says, turning a bright shade of red and Veronica thinks it's adorable. Sees why Jughead is so smitten with him.  
"No hard feelings, Archie. It's okay." she says, elbowing him.

"Betty hates me." he says, looking down at the pavement.  
"Yeah, me too. But, I think, Betty and you are going to be fine. You've been friends for, what, ten years now?" she asks and Archie nods.  
"You know what? I think Betty and you are going to be fine too. In all these years, I have never seen Betty gush over someone like she does about you. Just give it time, Ronnie." he says and she smiles at him. Hopes she isn't blushing.

"How was lunch with Jughead?" she asks and Archie looks at her in surprise.  
"How do you know him?" he asks, his voice unusually high.  
"We share two classes. And I go to the drive-in sometimes." she says. Not the truth yet not a lie.  
"Lunch was okay. But it was weird. I kept wanting to talk to him about everything, the way we did before, but then I would remember that we fought. It was difficult but it was still nice, I guess." he says, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Thank you." she says, turning to look at him as they reach the Pembrooke.  
"Anytime. See you around." he says and walks away.

"Your boy walked me home today." she says as the movie ends and he turns to look at her in surprise. Hopes it's too dark for her to see that he's blushing.  
"Really?" he asks, hoping to sound casual.  
"My mom bullied him into it. He apologized about the kiss. And told me that having lunch with you was nice." she says, a teasing smile on her lips.  
"I was freaking out the whole time during lunch. Do you know how difficult it is to be freaking out about everything, to have no clue what you are doing yet hide it all under a layer of indifference. Never mind, I know that you do. Wait, what did you tell him about us?" he asks.  
"Not our 'half my soul' thing and all. Just that we share two classes and that I come to the drive-in sometimes. No worries." she assures him.

"How did it go with Betty?" he asks, steering the topic abruptly away from Archie.  
"She said she forgave me but it felt like she said it out of obligation, because I bought the flowers and cupcakes and all and not because she meant it. Then we fought again during practice. She invited Cheryl to our hers-and-hers manicures and pedicures in retaliation. Not that I am jealous or something. But Cheryl? Really? It's a mess. I don't want to talk about it." she says, shrugging. Hopes the pain in her voice isn't too obvious.  
"She'll soon see how incredible you are. Don't worry." he says, squeezing her shoulder.

"I found out why Archie blew me off before our road trip." he says in a low voice. Tells her how he caught Archie and Grundy kissing in the music room. Tells her he has no idea what to do.  
"Save your boy, Jug." she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Tells him to confront Archie. Tells him that she won't tell anyone and will help him in any way she can.  
"What if he ends up hating me?" he says, drawing his knees together and biting his lower lip. She catches a glimpse of how young, how vulnerable he looks and it breaks her heart.  
"Then, he's an idiot. But it doesn't matter even if he hates you, Jug, you have to save him from her. That's what is important. Doing the right thing is hard, it has consequences but it's still the right thing." she says and wraps her arms around him. "You still be half my soul, for what it's worth."  
"You're right. Thank you." he says. "Can you drop me at his house?"  
"Yeah sure." she says. "By the way, is it necessary for half of a soul to thank the other half?"

"V. Can we talk?" she hears a voice say and turns around to see Betty standing beside her, fidgeting with the bottom of her sweater.  
"Yeah." she says, hesitantly and stares at her friend. Her friend, her friend, her friend, she repeats to herself.  
"You were right. About Archie, I'm sorry. Sometimes, it's hard to hear the truth even if you know it's the truth. And, I'm sorry for blowing you off for Cheryl. I truly regret it now." Betty says, taking a deep breath. "Friends again?"  
"Friends again." she confirms and holds out her hand. Betty takes it immediately and gives her a small smile. One that makes Veronica weak in the knees. One that she has to pretend to have no effect on her at all.

"Are we still on for Saturday?" Betty asks, referring to their spa plan and Veronica nods.  
"Veronica Lodge." the P.A. system calls.  
"I should probably go." she says, stifling the urge to groan. Curses the universe for not even letting her hold her friend's hand for a few minutes.  
"Yeah. See you." Betty says, still smiling and walks away in the direction of her first class.

"These came for you." Ms. Bell says, pointing at a bouquet of yellow flowers signed with the letter 'B' and a box of homemade chocolate cupcakes.  
"Thank you." she says and walks to her locker, smiling like a madman.  
"Why are smiling like that?" he asks, looking at her with a confusion of amusement and concern as he catches sight of her at her locker.  
"Betty." she says and he rolls his eyes.

"Aw. That was so sweet. I'm swooning." she says, latching on his arm as soon as he walks out of the nurse's office.  
"It was not like he kissed me and stood up to Cheryl Blossom to secure me a spot on the cheerleading squad." he says with a smirk and she turns bright red. "Friends defend their friends all the time. Archie has been defending me since forever."  
"Whatever. I still think it was sweet." she says, glaring at him. "How did yesterday go?"  
"He freaked out and threatened me to not tell anyone and then kicked me out." he says, defeatedly. "But I think he'll at least tell Weatherbee and Keller about the gunshot."  
"Baby steps, Jug. We'll expose her, then we'll save your boy. Don't lose hope." she says, squeezing his hand. No matter how many times she calls Archie 'his boy', he thinks he'll never get used to it. That his heart will never stop skipping a beat. That he'll never stop wishing it was true.  
"He's not my boy." he says, lowering his voice.  
"Not yet." she says, smiling at him.

"Sorry for interrupting your date." she says, taking his arm in her's as Archie and Betty disappear around the corner from Pop's.  
"It wasn't a date. If it was, then it means that you and Betty were there on a date, too." he says, grinning.  
"Fine. Whatever." she says, rolling her eyes.  
"And that's the closest you'll ever come to admitting you are wrong." he says and she glares at him.  
"What happened at the game? Spill." she says, looking at him.  
"He apologized for lashing out and for the road trip. Told me he was telling Weatherbee tomorrow. I told him I wasn't going to hug him in front of the entire town. If he had hugged me, I don't know if I could have let him go. Sometimes, it's better to pretend that you do not want something at all than to realize you cannot have it, no matter what you do." he says, shrugging. "Your turn."

"I ran after Cheryl and helped with her panic attack. Betty saw us and I don't know, she decided to give me another chance. That's all." she says.  
"You're incredible. I'm so proud of you." he says and she smiles at him.  
"It was so weird in Pop's. It felt like we were dating in secret and had to pretend like we were just friends. I don't know. I mean, I don't even know why we are hiding that we are friends from Archie and Betty." she says.  
"Yeah. It was weird. But we'll tell them soon, okay?" he says and she nods.  
"I'm proud of you too, Jug. And even if we have to keep this, us, a secret, I'm happy to be half your soul." she says.

"I don't understand. Why are you even going on a date with Clayton?" he asks, looking at her as though he doesn't even recognize the girl in front of him. Realizes he didn't look at her that way even when he saw her for the first time.  
"Me neither." she says and rests her head on his shoulder.

"I know I keep saying this but I'm proud of you, Veronica." he says, turning to look at her. "Standing up for yourself and the other girls. Getting Chuck suspended. I mean, wow."  
"Yeah." she says in a flat voice.  
"Are you okay?" he asks, looking at her, concerned.  
"No, not really but it's not my place to tell. Can I just?" she asks, gesturing to his shoulder.  
"Yeah, yeah, sure." he says and lets her lean against his shoulder.  
"I don't know what it is. But we'll figure it out. Okay?" he says, in a low voice. "Do you want me to distract you?"  
"Yes please." she says.  
"Writing with your girl at the Blue and Gold is fun. I just found out that Dilton was the one who fired the gun on the fourth of July. He's coming down to the office tomorrow to give us an interview. And, I heard Archie's song at the 'Taste of Riverdale'. Maybe, I am biased but I think it was great." he says, grinning. "God, I hope I get to stop whatever he has going on with Grundy soon. I literally can't look at her without wanting to kill her."  
"Soon, Jug. I promise." she says, looking at him. Your girl, your girl, your girl, her brain keeps repeating.

"How did it go?" she asks, running in her five-inch heels to keep up with Jughead who is walking out of the Mayor's office, looking positively murderous.  
"It's final. McCoy said there's no hope. Some anonymous buyer bought it." he says, bitterly.  
"I'm sorry. I know how much it meant to you. And trust me, when I say it meant a lot to me, too. If I can help in any way, just tell me." she says, placing a hand on his cheek.  
"I can't think of anything. Just come to the last show. I'll probably be too busy to watch it with you but it'd mean a lot to me if you came." he says, looking defeated.  
"I'll be there." she assures him. "By the way, how did Betty react when she found out about Archie and Grundy?"  
"She was shocked. And then, determined, I guess. I'm sure she'll do the right thing." he says, shrugging. "She'll do what I never had the spine to do. She'll save him from her. I am a coward. I can't even save him from her because I am terrified that I'll end up losing him."

"Hey, don't talk about yourself like that. Love makes fools of all of us, Jug. We'll help Betty, okay? We'll find a way to save your boy. We are not losing anything else." she says, crossing her arms and then uncrosses it. Stares at the ground. It's the first time he has seen how uncertainty looks on her, he thinks. "Now that the drive-in's going to be closed, where are you going to live?"  
"How- When did you know?" he asks, staring at her.  
"Sorry but the second time I came to the drive-in." she admits. "I'm sharper than you give me credit for, Jug. Besides, half my soul is a wannabe detective. I guess it’s easier to see when you really want to see."  
"I don't know." he admits.  
"Live with me at the Pembrooke? We have a guest bedroom and I already asked my mom. She said it's okay." she says. He stares at her, not knowing what to say. Opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. A thousand questions race through his head and he settles on the most important one.  
"Why?" he asks, finally.  
"Because, Jughead Jones, you are half my soul." she says, smiling.

"Are you okay? Are you comfortable?" she asks, crashing beside him in her guest bedroom, his bedroom. Uses his outstretched arm as a pillow.  
"I'm not okay about the drive-in and Archie and life in general but I am comfortable." he says. Hopes that she doesn't notice that his voice is cracking. Brushes his tears away hastily. "Thank you."  
"It's nothing, Jug." she says, elbowing him.  
"You look different in your pajamas." he says and she turns to face him. "I don't know. I thought, in your pajamas, you'll look more like yourself and less than what you show to the world but it still looks like a disguise."

"This disguise is necessary, Jug, even in a crowd of strangers, even in an empty room. I can only tolerate myself in this disguise. What's underneath it, I can't stand it, I can't face it. I can't look at who I really am without hating it. We all have our preferred ways to hide what we are. These pearls, these heels, these clothes, this fake confidence, this is my chosen disguise. Just like yours is your beanie, your aloofness and your sarcasm." she says, staring up at the ceiling.  
"Like you know that you are damaged, that you ruin everything you touch, that you can't make anyone stay, that nothing, no one can fix you. So, we make ourselves into something that isn't us, that doesn't even remotely resemble us, put as much distance as we can between the disguise and the person." he says, squeezing her hand. "Trust me. I get it."  
"I think you are the only one, Jug." she says, giving him a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes and barely even reaches her lips. He thinks he hasn't seen such sadness even in tears.

"Archie texted me earlier. I may sleep over at his place. Okay?" he asks. He's ecstatic and terrified at the same time. Ecstatic because he gets to spend the night with Archie, that Archie actually wants him to come over, that when Archie's life has gone to shit, Jughead is the one he wants to be with. Terrified that he is going to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing or going to ruin him, just like he ruins everything else in his life.  
"Of course. Just be a little gentle, okay? Your boy still thinks it was love and it may take him a little time to process it." she says, softly.  
"Yeah. Okay." he says, staring at the ceiling.

"It's Betty. She's coming over." Veronica says, grabbing her phone as it buzzes.  
"Okay, I'll be out then." he says, getting up and kisses Veronica's forehead. "I'm looking forward to live with you."  
"Me too." she says, smiling at him. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

"V." Betty says, giving her a bright smile as she opens the door and hugs her immediately, burying her face in her shoulder.  
"Hey." she says, wrapping her arms around Betty's waist. "What do you want to do tonight?"  
"Just talk and fall asleep. We will have a better sleepover soon, okay? I'm really tired today." Betty says, mumbling against her shoulder.  
"Yeah, me too. Come on in." she says and drags Betty to her bedroom by her hand. "Why don't you get changed? I'll wait outside."  
"We have changed in front of each other during practice before." Betty points out as she grabs her perfectly pink pajamas from her duffel bag.

_'I can't, Betty Cooper. It's wrong. What I feel for you is not what you feel for me. I can't look at you the way friends look at each other. Believe me when I say I tried. I never look at you even when you change in front of me. It would've been fine if I did not feel what I feel for you. But I look at you, the way you look at him, the way Jug looks at him. I don't know how long I can keep doing this. In short, Betty Cooper, please don't change your clothes in front of me, it's taking everything I don't know if I have in me, to not look at you.'_

"I'll go brush my teeth, you get changed." she says and dashes into the bathroom before Betty can stop her. Glares at her reflection for being so pathetic. Takes a deep breath and fixes her hair. When she comes back, Betty is already sleeping in her bed, blonde hair splayed across the pillow, bright green ocean eyes half closed, a small smile on her lips. Her breath hitches in her throat and she averts her eyes. Pretends like it doesn't have an effect on her like she always does. Like she always has to do. She gets into the bed after switching the light off and lies down beside Betty. Leaves a respectful, platonic distance between them. Betty ignores it and scoots closer to her, until their sides are pressed together from shoulder to ankle.

_'Why do you keep killing me this way? Do you even know that you are killing me? Why did you have to come closer? Wouldn't it have been kinder to stay away? Wouldn't it have been merciful to just outright hate me. I don't know what to do when you are this close. I do know what I want to do but I can't. I mean, look at us. You are everything I am not. You are the sun to my shadows, the light to my darkness, the good to my bad. Even our hair colors clash, even our wardrobes clash. There's not a lifetime, a universe where we go together. No matter how much I want to, no matter what I do, I know this, Betty Cooper, there's nothing I could ever do to deserve you.'_

"Did Archie talk with you?" she asks, not daring to turn around and look at Betty.  
"I apologized. He said it wasn't my fault." Betty says and she snorts.  
"What?" Betty asks.  
"Really, B? Why would you hide it in plain sight if you didn't want your mom to find it? Why write a diary when you know your mom reads it?" she says and Betty elbows her, gently.  
"Archie doesn't need to know that." Betty says. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Shoot." she says, shrugging.

"Are you in love with Jughead?" Betty asks, turning to look at her and she starts laughing hysterically. "It's more of a gut feeling but it's like you and Jughead just click. It feels like when I am with the two of you, you and him are talking in another language, in front of me, one I don't know and I'm trying to figure out when you two learnt it. This probably doesn't make any sense but that day in Pop's, you two didn't say a word to each other, but it felt like you two were still having a deep conversation. I don't know."  
"I love Jughead, B, but I am not in love with him. I don't know how to explain this but I feel like he and I are so eerily similar. He's a great friend and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for him. He's half my soul, but no, I am not in love with him." she says, wiping her eyes.  
"Half your soul?" Betty asks, pouting.  
"It's an inside joke. Just the idea of him and I as a couple is, I don't know, ridiculous." she says, shaking her head.  
"Hmm." Betty hums and she turns around to see Betty staring intently at her. Doesn't know how long Betty has been staring at her.

_'Why are you looking at me that way? The way I look at you when you are not looking at me. The way I look at you when I am tired of pretending to have to look at you any other way? Am I dreaming? Have I fallen asleep? Are you really looking at me that way? Please look away. Also, please don't. You'll kill me if you look away but you'll also kill me if you don't. I don't know what I want you to do, Betty Cooper. You keep killing me with everything you do and I don't think I mind it much, anyway.'_

"Veronica." Betty says, softly, no louder than a whisper and leans forward, slowly, her gaze never leaving Veronica's eyes. Someone knocks on her door at the exact instant and Betty snaps out of her daze, moves quickly to the end of her bed. Goes back to looking at Veronica perfectly platonically.  
"I-I-I should go that." she says, gesturing to the door and Betty nods, smiling at her. Her perfect, polite smile. The smile Betty never gives her.  
"Veronica." Jughead says, before collapsing into her shoulder. She turns to look at Betty, who has already turned away.

"What happened?" she asks, sitting him on his bed and sits down opposite him.  
And he tells her. How he had walked to Archie's house. How Fred had hugged him tightly. How Vegas had come running to him. How Archie pressed his head against his shoulder and cried a little. How he then stopped crying abruptly and asked Jughead if he could kiss him. How he didn't know what to say and just nodded. How the kiss was. How Archie's lips felt. How Jughead had pushed him away and ran all the way back to the Pembrooke.  
"I don't understand." she says, looking at him.  
"Me neither." he says, drawing his knees together. "Can you just stay beside me until I fall asleep?"  
"Sure." she says and lays down beside him.  
"Thank you." he says and takes her hand in his.


	2. I let you go

"Jug." she says, shaking him awake and he sits up, startled. Looks around him. Realizes he's in the guest bedroom of her apartment. Looks at her, still in her pajamas and pearls, her face blotched from crying, standing beside him with an arm stretched towards him.  
"What happened? Is everything alright?" he asks, looking at her. Throws the comforter aside and stands up. Wraps his arms around her.  
"I just want to go home." she says, softly. "There's a train at 7. Will you come with me?"  
"Of course. Anywhere you want me to come." he promises. "What happened?"  
"Betty left in the middle of the night after I fell asleep beside you. Left a note saying it was a family emergency. I think she's lying. I don't know what I did wrong. If I did anything wrong." she says, tears rolling down her cheek and he wipes them away. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come home last night. Everything's my fault." he says in a low voice. She doesn't tell him about the way Betty had enquired about her relationship with Jughead, about the way Betty was looking at her, about the way Betty leaned in and almost kissed her. Doesn't want to make what was probably nothing into something. 

"I just want to forget about all this for a while." she says. She doesn't. Not really. But she's not strong enough to confront Betty. Not strong enough to hear Betty's explanation, her side of the story. Not strong enough to let Betty make them into 'just friends'. Not strong enough to go back to holding Betty's hand in the corridor and gossip and drink milkshakes with her at Pop's and continue to love her from a distance.  
"Should I pack anything?" he asks, looking at her and she shakes her head. Gives him a small smile. "I'll make us some coffee." 

"It's feels like I have stepped into an alternate universe." he says, as they step out of the apartment after she leaves her mother a note. She raises an eyebrow at him and slips her arm into his. "I mean, you wearing jeans and sneakers, no pearls, your hair in a ponytail. Me not wearing flannel, not wearing my beanie. I didn't even know you owned sneakers."  
"New York is huge. Even I, cannot walk in my five-inch heels and not get tired." she explains, turning to look at him. "And, it's kind of refreshing to see you without that beanie." 

"Tell me about New York." he says, as they fall in step with each other.  
"New York is exciting. It's just so full of life. There are just as many people at three in the morning as there are at three in the evening. It's like, you could spend your entire life in New York, yet never know it fully. Unlike in Riverdale, where everyone is obsessed with each other's past, each other's secrets, each other's business, in New York, no one cares about your past or where you're from." she says, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "I think you'll quite like it there." 

"Do you miss New York?" he asks.  
"I didn't even know you could miss a place so much. I have only been away for a month and it feels like a lifetime." she says, staring at the pavement. He nods at that and they lapse into silence. He stares at the cold empty streets, the trees on the sides of the streets, the occasional car passing by, the abandoned buildings. Wonders if he'll miss Riverdale the way she misses New York, if he leaves. When he leaves, he reminds himself. 

_'Mornings like this.'_ he thinks. _'Silent and freezing. So foggy that it hides all of the ugliness beneath.'_

They reach the railway station and he buys them tickets to New York. The kind lady at the counter smiles at him as she takes his money. Her eyes trail to Veronica, standing a little away from him, frowning at her phone and wishes them luck. Tells them to get as far away as possible and to never come back. Calls Riverdale a 'cursed town'. Smiles again at him when she hands him his change. 

There are only two other people at the railway station. An old lady with grey hair and thick glasses, around fifty, he guesses, in a thick black coat that looks too large for her and a small purple suitcase. She looks grandmotherly, the soft, sweet type who offers you biscuits and tea if you drop by. Even if you are a salesman. The other is a younger boy, around their age, in a white t-shirt and worn pair of jeans, with only a duffel bag around his shoulder. Who looks around the railway station nervously as if expecting someone to materialize out of thin air. 

"The old lady's husband just passed away. Probably of old age. Probably is from Greendale or some other nearby town. She can't live in the house they lived together for so long. Sees him everywhere in the house. The coat she's wearing is his. She's probably going to stay with her daughter in New York. It's going to be difficult for her after spending most of her life in a small town." he whispers in her ear and she gives him an amused smile. "The boy, he's sixteen or at most seventeen. His life at home isn't great. Abusive parent or maybe parents. Bullied at school. Decided to run away to New York in search of a better life and here he is, with a little money of his own and only two sets of clothes."  


"You're a natural at this." she says in amazement and he shrugs. "Can I try?"  
"Sure, go on." he says.

"The old lady's daughter just had a baby. She's going to New York to visit her and the baby. Her husband has passed away a few years ago. She's wearing his coat because it reminds her of him, yes, but also because she wants her husband with her when sees the baby. She'll come back home after a month. Knit something for the baby. Gossip with other grandmothers. Make cookies and lemonade for the neighborhood kids. Give advice to new couples. Go to work at the library." she says, shrugging and he grins at her. "The boy. He has an online boyfriend in New York who actually turns out to be real. He's going to spend an amazing week with his boyfriend. Then come back to his small boring town. Work somewhere after school. Save up some money and then go to the same university as his boyfriend."  


"You're better at this than I expected. But, you know, life doesn't work that way." he says, shaking his head.  
"Maybe. Maybe not." she says and looks away from him. Looks behind him. "The train's here." 

They help the old woman with her suitcase. She thanks them and wishes them luck. Tells them that she's going to visit her sick sister in New York. Veronica tells her that she loves her coat and she smiles. Tells them that she tried online shopping for the first time and that it was two sizes bigger than expected. Scribbles an address on a piece of paper and tells them to drop by if they ever find themselves in Seaside. 

"You can always come back to New York, you know. Buy back your old penthouse. Live with a hot, rich, girlfriend who probably models for a living. Own a cute dog or two. Wear expensive suits. Have an assistant who buys you coffee every morning. An office on the fifteenth floor with an amazing view of New York. Probably vacation in the Bahamas or Hawaii or something." he says, smiling at her as the train starts moving.  
"And you can visit me whenever you like. I'm sure my hot, rich, modelling girlfriend won't mind." she says, elbowing him.  
"Are you going to run Lodge Industries after your father?" he asks, looking at her.  
"I am not sure. But definitely not in the way in my dad does." she says, shrugging.

"I want to live in some small English town. Where it rains all the time. Get a posh British accent. Drink tea ten times a day. Read poetry and books and watch old classics. Wear oversized sweaters and my beanie. Travel quite often to Italy, Greece and Paris." he says, staring out of the window.  
"With a hot English guy who probably takes photos for a living." she adds, smirking.  
"Sounds good to me." he says and stares out of the window. Watches as the buildings disappear and get replaced by highways and trees. Wonders if he puts as much distance as he can between him and Riverdale, if one day, he'll stop thinking of it, at all. 

_'When do you stop belonging to where you are from?'_ he thinks.

"Why did you run away last night? From your boy?" she asks, looking at him with a mixture of concern and confusion.  
"I thought he wasn't really thinking about what he was doing. About the consequences. That it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and I didn't want something I wanted, so much, for so long, to be a regret to him." he says, taking a deep breath. "And, can you please not call him 'my boy'?"  
"Noted. But what if he didn't regret it, Jug? What if he wanted it as much as you did?" she asks, glaring at him and he chuckles mirthlessly.  
"Life's not a fairy-tale, Veronica and I know that you know this better than everyone. It was just a stupid mistake. Do you really think someone like him could want someone like me? This, us staying away from each other, is better. Trust me." he says and she gives him a sad smile.  
"I think you should talk to him about this. You don't get to decide what he feels for you. But, whatever, your life is yours to ruin." she says, shrugging.  
"He's always like this. He falls for someone, thinks its love, thinks it's forever and it never ends up being anything. I'd rather be his friend, at his side, all my life, than an awkward ex, who can't even look him in the eye." he explains.  
"That's not you speaking. That's your self-doubt, your abandonment issues. I know that better than anyone." she says, looking at him. "You're not going to ruin him."  
"I'd rather not risk it." he says, coldly. "And, Veronica, you are half my soul, but please do not presume that you know what's going on in my mind." 

"Look, I'm sorry for saying what I said. I was being a jerk and I didn't mean what I said. I don't want to talk about this. I just want to enjoy, this, today, with you. Please?" he says, as they step out of the train and turns to glare at a man in a suit who rushes past him, bumping into him in the process. "Wow. Did that guy just bump into me and then glare at me?"  
"Fine. And, that is New York to you, Jughead Jones." she says, chuckling and grabs him by his arm. Pulls him towards the exit. "Come on. I know this incredible cafe where we can go for breakfast."

The incredible cafe, turns out to be, actually incredible and thankfully, within walking distance of the station. They each order a stack of pancakes and coffee and he thinks the pancakes are even better than those at Pop's. Tells her this. She laughs at that and calls him a traitor. The owner gasps when she catches sight of Veronica and hugs her tightly. Shakes his hand when she introduces him. Tells them she'd rather die than accept money from them when he tries to pay the bill. Tells them how Veronica had saved her husband's life by paying his hospital bills. He gives her a proud smile and she turns a bright shade of red. He takes a picture of her, blushing, under the bright lights of the cafe and she demands that he deletes it. Hands them some sandwiches and a box of cupcakes and macarons when they leave. Insists that it's the least she can do for them. Waves at them until they disappear from her view. He tells her that he's proud of her as they walk and she rolls her eyes. Fights the urge to smile. Gives in anyway. 

Drags him to a bookstore that she swears he'll love. They spend hours reading and talking and arguing until the owner threatens to throw them out. They then go to a fancy, high-end boutique at her insistence. He doesn't think he can afford a single item in here. Tells her this. She whispers back a 'me neither' and he feels bad immediately. Tries to apologize. She shakes her head and pushes a silk shirt into his hands. Whispers a 'they don't charge for trying' and jerks her head towards the changing rooms. They both try on different, over-priced, amazing outfits until he feels bad and insists that they stop. 

The guy from the train recognizes them and stops in a car beside them. Introduces himself as Charlie. Offers them a lift. Introduces a boy with brown curly hair and bright blue eyes in a Hawaiian shirt as his boyfriend, James. Both of them gasp, turning to look at each other and the boy from the train, Charlie, gives them a confused look. They decide on Central Park and finish the sandwiches, cupcakes and macarons between the four of them. Charlie tells them the story of how he and James met - it was when he was visiting some cousins in New York and some moron poured hot, scalding coffee over him. James rolls his eyes but gives Charlie a fond smile. Veronica regales them with a story from her New York days involving her friends, some celebrities and a copious amount of alcohol that makes all laugh until they are crying. It's his turn and he tells them about a camping trip with Fred and Archie from when he was eight. About the campfire, the tent, the stars, the roasted marshmallows, the lake shimmering in the moonlight, him swimming under what felt like a million stars and all of them listen to his story in amazement. 

He takes some pictures of the park. Of her laughing at something James said. Of James and Charlie gazing lovingly at each other. Of the four of them, smiling at the camera, with their hands around each other's shoulders. James and Charlie drop them off at the Empire State Building and promise to keep in touch. He, in turn, promises to send them the pictures as soon as he can. They climb to the top and marvel at the city below them in silence. She finally convinces him to take a couple of selfies with him, after fifteen minutes of him rambling about how narcissistic the whole concept of a 'selfie' is. They go to the Times Square before leaving and stare at all the huge screens around them. She lets him take a couple of photos of her and takes a few of him. Insists she knows how to take a picture. They take a few more selfies and this time, he doesn't protest much. 

He realizes they have to leave soon. Realizes he doesn't want to. Wants to stay with her here, forever, away from the tiny little town, that he didn't even know was suffocating him until he breathed fresh air. They catch the subway back to the train station after buying some ice cream. She cries a little when the train starts moving, away from New York, towards Riverdale and he wraps an arm around her. Whispers to her that it'll be alright and that he's there for her. She eventually falls asleep, her face pressed against the crook of his neck and only wakes up when they are twenty minutes away from Riverdale. 

"Today has been one of the best days of my life." he says, smiling at her as they step into the Pembrooke.  
"Mine too." she says, smiling back and tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Jug."  
"Goodnight, Veronica." he says, smiling. 

"Hi." Betty says, hesitantly, leaning against her locker, staring at the girl in front of her. Doesn't come over and take Veronica's hand like she usually does. Always does. But continues watching her, waiting for her to say something. Ask something. Do something.  
"Hey." she replies, smiling brightly though smiling feels like the last thing she wants to do. "Come on, I'll walk to your first period. What's up?"  
"I am going on a date with Trevor Brown today." Betty says, biting her lip and scans her face for a reaction. They stand a respectable distance from each other. She can't remember the last time they walked like this. Shoulders not brushing, fingers not interlocked with each other.  
"Wow, B, that's great. I'm so happy for you." she says, smiling widely. Doesn't grab Betty's arm or hug her like she always does. Pretends like she's actually happy for her friend. Her friend, her friend, her friend, she repeats to herself. "Text me how it goes."  
Betty's eyes widen in surprise as though she hadn't expected her to react like this.

_'Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to make cry? Is that what you want? Or are you trying to pretend we are just friends again? It's not like I was the one who almost kissed you and then ran away. No, that was you. And, Betty Cooper, I am disappointing you again. I'm not going to cry in front of you. I was eight and my father promised to come to my school play and he never did. I had only reminded him about it a thousand times. I didn't cry then, when all the parents in the audience stood up and clapped. Didn't cry when he apologized to me the next day. Didn't cry when it happened the next time. Didn't cry the six times it happened again. And, I'm not going to start now.'_

"Archie came by yesterday. Told me that Jughead wasn't answering his texts or taking his calls. Looked devastated. Do you know anything..." Betty says, trailing off.  
"Oh. Juggie and I went to New York, yesterday. It was totally his idea. He planned it as a surprise because he knew I was missing New York." she says, turning to look at Betty's miserable expression and sighs deeply. "He's the sweetest."  
"That sounds sweet." Betty says, her voice unusually high. "I forgot that I had to go to the Blue and Gold office. You go on."  
"Catch you later." she says, smirking and walks away in the direction of her first class. She technically has won this round. In the twisted game that she doesn't even want to play. But it doesn't feel much like a victory. 

"Want some help?" she asks, as she catches sight of Archie, trying to bandage his own hand and he looks up at her. Gives her a relieved smile.  
"Thank you." he says, stretching out his hand and she bandages it carefully.  
"All done." she says, smiling at him and pats his hand, lightly. "What happened to your hand, by the way?"  
"I was up all the night writing sheet music for this guy, Oscar. And, then football practice." he says and she winces, sympathetically. "Come on. I'll walk you home. It's on my way."  
"Your house and my house are in totally opposite directions." she points out.

"Fine, I want to talk to you about Jughead. Okay?" he asks, glaring at her and she deflates. Mutters a soft sorry. "He's been avoiding me for the past two days. Today, I was walking down the hallway and he bolted as soon as he caught sight of me. I've messed up everything, haven't I?"  
"You two are really made for each other." she says, giving him a sad smile. "He feels the exact same way."  
"That night, it felt like he wanted it, too. Like, he wanted me, too. But, as soon as I made a move, he ran away. He was halfway up my street before I could even stop him. I was chasing and shouting after him like a madman." he says, dejectedly and then smiles a little. "I don't even understand how he runs this fast with all the burgers he eats."  
"Don't tell him I told you this but he thinks that you think it's a mistake." she says and he opens his mouth to protest. "He thinks that he's going to ruin you. I think he finds it difficult to open up to others."  
"How do I fix this?" he asks, taking a deep breath.  
"I'll talk him into talking to you. When he does, just tell him that it's wasn't a mistake and that he isn't a disaster. Tell him whatever it takes to make him stay." she says, shrugging and he nods.

"When did you find out that you liked him?" she asks and he thinks for a moment, chews his lip before turning to look at her.  
"In our third grade, we were asked to write a short story on the prompt 'fish out of water'. I don't remember what I wrote. Probably, I didn't even write anything. But I bet there's no one in our class who forgot his story, even after all this time. It was about an alien whose spaceship fails and he crash-lands on Earth. The alien looks like a human but he can't talk the way humans do. Everyone around him thinks he's just a mute, lost child and he spends years going in and out of foster homes and just wandering around. He starts to understand human speech after a while but still can't communicate, not even through sign language. And, he always feels like he's destined to be alone, away from home, in a world where no one understands him. Finally, after spending almost a century on Earth, he gets admitted to a mental facility where he meets someone from his own planet. Someone who crashed on Earth, just like him, many centuries ago. And, finally, he's home even if it isn't in the way he expected." he says, a small fond smile playing on his lips. "Most of the girls in our class cried. The teacher was dumbfounded. I may have liked him before but I remember listening to his story and going, 'Wow'. From that moment on, I was amazed by everything he said, everything he did. I don't think I have stopped still."  
"Wow." she says and he smiles at her. 

"I know. What's the matter with you and Betty?" he asks, looking at her and she sighs. "I'll tell her that you're miserable without her. And make her see that she's miserable without you and make you two talk. It's a promise."  
"Thank you, Archiekins." she says, nodding.  
"It's the least I can do." he says, shaking his head. "See you, around?"  
"Yeah." she says, smiling and waves at him before turning and walking into the Pembrooke. 

"Want to go on an adventure?" he asks, grinning, as she opens her bedroom door.  
"Sure." she says, shrugging. And that's how they find themselves outside the only dry-cleaners in Riverdale, with him, trying to pick the lock with a bobby pin and her, standing as a lookout, jumping at every little noise.  
"I don't know how Betty does it so easily." he grunts, twisting the bobby pin in further and the lock finally clicks open. He doesn't call her 'your girl' anymore and she honestly can't decide if it hurts less or more.  


"Thank god." she whispers and helps him with the shutters. "Just pick a suit, Jughead. I am trying to prove that I am not my father and I cannot do that if I end up in jail. And for what? Breaking into a dry-cleaners of all places."  
"Yup. This will do." he says, grabbing a nearby suit and rolls the shutters down. Locks the door and pulls it towards him to make sure it's locked. "Let's go." 

"Are you sure there were no cameras inside?" she asks, her voice shaking as they walk quickly towards the Pembrooke. "No surveillance cameras on the streets?"  
"Relax, Veronica. It's fine." he says, shrugging. "No one will even realize this is missing. I'll return this after Jason's memorial and no one will find out. Even if do get caught, I won't rat you out."  
"I'll have Sowerberry bail you out if do you get arrested." she promises.  
"Thank you." he says, rolling his eyes as they walk into her bedroom. "Betty and I breaking into Jason's room tomorrow."  
"What?" she says, turning to look at him. "Fine. Whatever. Just be careful."

"Do you really have to sleep over at Cheryl's tonight?" he asks, pouting, flopping on her bed and watches her pack for her sleepover.  
"She's going to bury her brother tomorrow, Jug. She needs a friend now." she chastises him and he gives her an apologetic smile. "Toothbrush. Pajamas. The funeral dress. Charger. Earphones. What else do I need?"  
"Why would a rich kid like Jason need to sell drugs? Why would he need money? Was he planning to run away?" he asks, mostly to himself. "To run away from a bitter past? Or to run towards a better future?"  
"Why can't it be both?" she asks, looking at him and he nods.  
"Indeed, why can't it be both?" he repeats and continues watching her pack. 

"I'm leaving with Archie." Betty says, still looking a little pale and pointedly ignoring Veronica beside him. "Are you sure you'll get home safe?"  
"Yeah." he says, his eyes inadvertently trailing to Archie standing in the driveway of Thornhill, leaning against his truck, with his hands in his pockets, watching him with an expression he's too far away to read. Wonders what he's thinking. "See you."  
"You ready to leave?" he asks, taking her hand in his and she turns to look at him. Doesn't let the disappointment and the heartbreak show on her face.  
"Yeah. I'll just tell Cheryl goodbye." she says, curtly and disappears into an adjoining room. Appears a few minutes later with her overnight bag and a bright red lipstick mark on her cheek.

"You okay?" he asks and she shrugs. Slips her arm into his like she always does. "You have lipstick on your cheek, by the way."  
"It was just a friendly kiss." she says, blushing and rubs at her cheek. "Is it gone?"  
"Maybe." he says, smirking and she rolls her eyes. "How was the sleepover?"  
"We just talked and then went to sleep. It wasn't anything crazy. But I'm glad I was able to be there for her." she says. "Her family's so toxic, though. I don't know how Cheryl puts up with it."  
"Yeah. Turns out Polly and Jason were engaged." he whispers as soon as they are far enough from Thornhill and she turns to look at him, her mouth open in surprise. "When we were breaking and entering, we got caught by his grandmother. She thought Betty was Polly and told her that she should keep the ring safe. And, that their wedding was the last thing she was living for."  
"Oh. That's horrible." she says and he raises an eyebrow at her. "No, not like that. Just that he had gotten engaged and was planning a wedding, planning a future with Polly, not knowing what was going to happen to him."  
"It is." he agrees, simply.

"What happened with Archie?" she asks, referring to when Archie had bolted away from the memorial as soon as Penelope touched his face and Jughead had run after him. Ignoring the whispers and concerned glances of everyone around them. He just needed to make sure that Archie was alright. Even after everything that had happened. Even after everything that they said to each other. It was just how Archie and Jughead worked.  
"He had a panic attack. I managed to calm him down." he says, color draining out of his face. "I think Penelope touching his face must have reminded him somehow of Grundy."  
"What are we going to do about it?" she asks, biting her lip and he gives her a grateful smile. Loves how she says 'we' no matter what happens. Loves how she takes control of the situation even when she's as confused as he is. Loves how much she tries to make everything better and then tries to convince him that it was nothing.  
"Tell me what you want me to do." he says and she stares at him blankly. "What? Every decision you make is somehow wise and right. It's better to just do what you tell me to do than me trying to think of something and making a bigger mess of things."

"I think you should tell his father." she says and he sighs.  
"Yeah. You're probably right. Can you ask him to walk with you to school tomorrow? I'm going to Betty's for breakfast and I'll probably drop in after that and tell Fred about it." he says, running a hair through his hair.  
"Why are you having breakfast at Betty's?" she asks, looking at him.  
"It's a ploy to distract her mother and find out where Polly is." he explains and she gives him a sad smile. A week ago, she would have been the one Betty would have asked. She probably would have said an 'anything for you' or something equally cheesier. Betty would have given her a grateful grin or a hug and she would have smiled back at her.

"I'm sorry." he says and she shakes her head.  
"I'm fine." she says, unconvincingly. "Really."  
"Well, then it’s a good thing that you're really fine because I need a lookout tonight." he says, grinning and she groans. 

"Can we talk?" he asks, poking his head into her room and she nods. Closes the book she was reading before he came in. Scoots to the middle of the bed and pats the space beside her. Watches him sit down on the edge of the bed, playing with his beanie.  
"I have something to tell you too but you go first." she says and he tells her. That Polly is at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. That she's pregnant. That she was planning to run away with Jason. That they found the car they were planning to use found full of evidence. That it was torched just minutes later. Apologizes for missing her performance with the Pussycats.  
"Now, why don't you just tell me what you wanted to say?" she asks, crossing her arms and he squirms under her gaze. Wishes she wasn't so good at reading him. Wishes he could tell her what he wants to tell without her hating him.  


"I kissed Betty." he says, in a low voice but she hears it. Stares at him blankly before collecting herself. Opens and closes her mouth, a couple of times.  
"Okay. Was it a heat of the moment thing?" she asks, softly and he holds her gaze before shaking his head.  
"Wow. Jughead. That's... wow. Just get out of my sight." she says, her voice shaking with barely contained anger.  
"Veronica, I-" he starts, looking at her.  
"Please just get out before I say something I regret." she says, glaring at him and looks away.  
"I'm sorry." he whispers before walking away. Watches her for a moment from the doorway before sighing and disappearing from view.

"Archie. Walk with me to school?" she asks, smiling brightly as soon as he opens the door and he stares at her for a moment before nodding. Disappears into his house and comes back a minute later.  
"Hey, my dad wants to know if you had breakfast. Says you are welcome to join us." he says and she looks at him quizzically. Wonders if Fred is being nice to her because she's Hermione's daughter or if he just does that to everyone.  
"He is not doing that to impress you or anything. My dad's just like that." he says, with an embarrassed grin.  
"I already had breakfast but thank you." she says, smiling and he nods. Disappears again, murmurs about something with his father and emerges a minute later with his backpack.

"So, have you heard the happy news?" she asks, as they start walking towards the school. Doesn't take his arm in her's because it reminds her too much of him. Doesn't take his hand in her's because it reminds her too much of her.  
"Yeah." he says, bitterly. "I mean. Wow. I never saw this coming."  
"Yeah. Me neither." she says. 

"I had Reggie, of all people, tell me about it." he says, shaking his head and takes a deep breath. "How did you find out?"  
"He told me. I don't even know what he was hoping I'd say. 'Wow, Jughead. You just kissed the girl I like after weeks of you telling me how much you loved Archie. That's so great and I'm so happy for you'? " she says, rolling her eyes and he snorts. "How are you holding up?"  
"Not well, really. I'm either furious or I am moping. My dad says his hair is falling out from trying to figure me out." he says and she laughs. "What about you?"  
"I don't know and there's all this stuff with my family as well." she says, shrugging and he gives her an encouraging nod. "When my dad went to jail, it was insane and I hated him for it. But I always thought that he would come back soon and everything would be alright, again. But, I guess, I am the only one who's thinking so. My mom has already given up on our family and is fooling around with your father. I just have no idea what we are going to become after all this."  
"I know how difficult it is to see your family getting ripped apart. You grow up all your life thinking your parents are a pair, a set, soulmates but it is rarely true. Your mom may have made a mistake, Ronnie. She's human too. That doesn't mean she has given up on your family. Even if your mom and dad don't love each other, they'll never stop loving you. They'll never stop being your parents." he says and she gives him a half-smile. "I think you miss your dad. And, everyone around you is telling you that you shouldn't miss him. But it doesn't work like that, huh?"

"When did you become so wise?" she asks, brushing a tear away and he gives her a 'barely-there' smile.  
"I thought for eight years that it was 'Disnep' and not 'Disney' because of the way the 'y' looks." he says, grinning and she stares at him. "So, not that wise."  
"Wow. I'll take that back." she says, grinning.

"It must be harder for you living in the same house with him and all." he comments, offhandedly and she stares at him in surprise.  
"How did you find out?" she asks, crossing her arms.  
"I am not as oblivious as everyone thinks, Ronnie. I mean, why does everyone think that?" he says, throwing his hands in the air, dramatically. "I mean, I haven't hated anyone as much as I hate him now but thank you for offering him a place to stay."  
"It was nothing." she says, shaking her head.  
"No, it wasn't. It was kind. I don't know how many people in this town would have done that. And, I'll always be grateful to you for it. You can come over to mine anytime you want, okay? I know you have an amazing voice after your performance with the Pussycats. We can jam together or cry together or whatever." he says and she smiles at him.  
"I'd like that, Archiekins." she says.  
"I like how you didn't specify if that was about the jamming or about the crying." he says, laughing and she joins in. Until they are both clutching their stomachs in pain and wiping the tears away.

"And I'm sorry about shouting at you. You know, about the whole 'Val' thing. I didn't mean what I said." she says, giving him an embarrassed grin.  
"Hey. It's okay to feel something once in a while, Ronnie. The world's not going to end because you are not in control of your emotions all the time. You're allowed to feel what you feel. You don't to have it together all the time. " he says, giving her a reassuring grin and she looks away. Hopes that she doesn't start crying in front of him.  
"Thank you. I kind of needed to hear that." she says, sniffling.  
"Want to walk into school hand-in-hand? I'll buy a milkshake at Pop's afterwards." he says, smirking.  
"Sure." she says, smirking back at him and slips her hand into his.

Archie takes her hand in his as soon as Jughead puts an arm around Betty's shoulder.  
"Keep calm. Keep calm. Keep calm." Archie keeps whispering but she doesn't know if it's to her or to himself.  
The bell rings at the exact moment and she has never been more grateful for something, her whole life.  
"So, you and Jughead, huh? You make a cute couple. I totally ship it." she says, walking beside Betty and Betty seems surprised. Opens her mouth to say something, then decides against it and closes it.  
"Thanks." Betty says, nodding and keeps her eyes fixed on the floor. 

_'What is that supposed to mean, Betty Cooper? What the hell was that supposed to mean?'_

"Since when are you and Archie..." Betty asks, finally turning to look at her.  
"Oh. It's all very recent. Me and Archie is okay, right? You don't have feelings for him, do you?" she asks and Betty looks at her in confusion.  
"Oh. I mean, yeah. No problem. I'll see you around." Betty says and practically runs away from her.

"Jughead." she says and grabs him by his arm. Shoves him into an empty classroom. Leans against the door, trapping him. "You got a moment to talk?"  
He winces at her tone, all cold and steely but nods. Looks up at her and smiles involuntarily. Smiles that she's really standing in front of him, as always, in her pearls and designer clothes and five-inch heels. Realizes that she's talking to him again after three days of agonizing silence, of longing stares across the classroom and polite conversation at the dinner table. Smiles again.  
"Why are you smiling?" she asks, narrowing her eyes and he shakes his head. Bites the inside of the cheek to stop smiling.  


"Why are you doing this, Jug? What even are you doing? I can't think of one sane reason that explains what you are doing." she says, rubbing her forehead and his smile drops. "Betty doesn't deserve this. And neither does Archie. And neither do I."  
"You're going to break her heart. You're already breaking her heart. I can't stand beside you and watch you do it." she say, sighing and he opens his mouth to protest. "I'm not talking with you until you stop with all of this foolishness."  
"Goodbye, Jug." she says and walks away.

"Jug, hey. Can we talk?" Archie asks, appearing beside him at the locker and scares the shit out of him. He jumps a foot into the air and turns to glare at him. Blames Veronica for him being so distracted.  
"Not here." he whispers, looking at all the people walking around them and Archie nods.  
"The music room." Archie says and almost reaches out to take Jughead's hand. Then decides against it and abruptly shoves it into his pocket. 

"That night was a mistake." he says as soon as Archie shuts the door behind them. "You were just confused about Grundy and everything, right?"  
"I- what? What?" Archie says, leaning against the door and stares blankly at him, his eyes wide with confusion. 

_'Tell me that I am wrong. That it wasn't. That that you love me, or that you like me, that you need me or that you want me. Don't let me run away. Make me stay, make me stay, make me stay.'_

"I understand, bro. Neither of us were thinking clearly." he continues, not letting Archie talk. It seems easier to break Archie's heart and not the other way around.  
"No. No. Jug, if you just listen to me." Archie says, looking desperate.  
"I should have said 'no'. I just didn't want to break your heart, obviously. You were so sad after Grundy left." he says, nonchalantly and Archie looks up at him, sharply. Gapes at him. Looks like he can't believe what Jughead said. Looks like Jughead just put a knife through his heart.  
"Was that- Was that why you kissed me back?" Archie asks, his eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline.

_'No. No. I have been wanting to do that since we were six. Since you defended me from Reggie and he gave you a black eye. The first time. You asked me if I was okay with blood running down your cheek like I was the one who was hurt. That was when I knew. But I can't do this to you. I'd rather break your heart. Can't you see what I am doing? I'm saving you. I know you are going to hate me but trust me, I am doing this for you. I am many things, Archie Andrews, but I am not selfish. I can't just stand and watch me destroy you. You don't deserve this. You are everything that's good with this town and I'm everything that's wrong with this town.'_

"Yeah." he says, shrugging.  
"Oh." Archie says, brushing away a tear running down his cheek. Looks up at him with an inscrutable expression, his lip wobbling before opening the door and running away. 

"Trouble in paradise?" Cheryl asks, coolly, entering the room just as Archie leaves and he flops into the couch, his head in his hands, his eyes brimming with tears. "Should I call Ronnie?"  
"Please just leave me alone, Cheryl. And no, Veronica and I are not talking." he says, his voice cracking and she gives him a soft smile.  
"Well, it's a good thing I never do what I am told to." she says, shrugging. "Why did you break his heart?"

"How did you know it was me? For all you know, he could've broken mine." he says, glaring at her and she scoffs.  
"Oh please. Archie breaking your heart? He's been giving you the heart eyes since your stupid alien story." she says, smiling and he manages a weak smile.  
"You remember that?" he asks and she rolls her eyes.  
"You managed to make Tina and Ginger cry that day. It took me forever to make them stop crying." she says, softly. 

"Do you ever feel like a train wreck?" he asks and she gives him an encouraging nod. "I know I am. But he doesn't. I don't know if he really doesn't know it or just won't accept it. But I am a train wreck and I don't want him to be caught in the aftermath."  
"What you are doing is noble, Jughead, but it certainly isn't kind. Neither to him nor to yourself. But what if he loves you anyway? What if it's the way he wants to go?" she asks, crossing her arms. 

"I just want him to be safe even if he is not happy." he says, sniffling and she glares at him.  
"Look. I know how it feels to be alone, to be unaccepted, to be unwanted. To hide everything you feel, all the time that you just become scared of opening up. To be terrified of love because you always end up ruining it." she says, looking at him and he nods. "But I also know how it feels to lose that one person that always saved you, always protected you, always loved you. Just make sure you don't lose yours. " 

"Pep talk's over. Come on." she says, getting up and holds out a hand.  
"Thank you." he says, softly and she rolls her eyes. Pulls him up.  
"And, Veronica's one of the most incredible, selfless, caring and good people I've ever met. You break her heart and I'll break your jaw. I don't care why you both are not talking but you better make up with her soon. I mean, she's half your soul, for God's sake." she says, throwing her hands up in the air and he gapes at her. "If you are planning to stand there for the rest of the day with your mouth open, that's perfectly fine but some of us have classes to attend and a 4.0 to maintain. Bye."

Her phone starts ringing and she stares at the screen. Stares at the hearts behind the name of the contact. Wonders if she should take the call or just leave it ringing. 

_'Who are you kidding? Like you ever not take her call.'_

"Hi." Betty says, hesitantly.

_'Wow, of all the ways you and I could have ended up, is this what we have become, Betty Cooper? We could have taken the world by storm. Set fire to the world and watched the flames dance in each other's eyes. Saved it, all the while holding each other's hand. Brought it to its knees. But is this how we end up? In awkwardness and uncertainty?'_

"Hey." she replies, hoping to sound casual.  
"Polly escaped from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy the night of the variety show." Betty says and she gasps.  
"I'm really sorry. I didn't know that." she says.  
"Oh, I'm sorry too. I just thought that Jughead would have told you." Betty says and she almost laughs.  
"We are organizing a search party for Polly, V. Can you be there?" Betty asks. "It would really mean a lot to me if you came."

_'Yeah. Like I ever say 'no' to you.'_

"Of course, B. I'll be there." she says, smiling a little.  
"Thank you so much, V." Betty says and an awkward silence looms over them. "My mom's calling. I gotta go. Bye."  
"Yeah. Goodbye." she says and sighs. 

_'Did you feel something too or did I make it all up in my head? Were we destined to be something, in another lifetime or perhaps in another universe or were we always supposed to end up like this? Do you regret what we have become? Did things start going wrong or was it just always wrong? Who do I blame - the timing, the universe, him, you or just myself?'_

"Thank you so much for coming." Betty whispers, running to her and burying her face in her shoulder as soon as she catches sight of her.  
"I will always be there for you, B." she says and Betty smiles at her. Looks like she's going to melt into her shoes. Groans when Alice Cooper calls her.  
"I'm so sorry. But I promise I'll make it up to you soon." Betty says and squeezes her hand once before running to her mother's side. 

_‘You keep breaking my heart, Betty Cooper and I keep letting you. Why do you keep breaking my heart? Why do I keep letting you?’_

"Veronica. Can I talk to you for just one second?" he asks, walking to her just as Betty leaves.  
"No. You cannot. Go help look for your girlfriend's sister." she says, flatly and takes Kevin's arm in hers. Turns around and glares at him. Sees the hurt written all over his face. Sees his gaze dropping to her arm wrapped around Kevin's. Sees him realize that it used to his arm, not quite a long time ago.  
"I'm glad that you and Betty made up. She's been moping since forever." Kevin says, turning to look at Jughead with a pitying look. "But you and Jughead fighting? I never thought I'd live to see this day."  
"Me neither, Kevin. But here we are." she says, shrugging.  


"So, you and Archie, huh?" he asks, changing the topic.  
"It's all very recent. That's all I'll say for now." she says, a playful smile on her lips.  
"How are things at home?" he asks and she sighs. Archie and Kevin had quickly turned into her closest confidants within the past week. While Archie was the one giving her surprisingly great advice and holding her as she cried, Kevin was the one she turned to when she felt like being dramatic.  
"Not very great but..." she says and looks at him with a mischievous smile. Tells him her plan. Asks him, Josie and Reggie to come with her for a fun night as she calls it. 

They go to the club. Drink more than they should. Dance more than they should. She had almost forgotten how great this felt. How much she missed this. They catch an Uber home and they drop her at the Pembrooke. She hugs all three of them and kisses them on the cheek. She makes up with her mom and hugs her. Crashes on her bed and falls asleep. Dreams of golden hair, bright green eyes as always. 

He stands in front of her door, wondering if he should knock. She would probably take one look at him and slam it in his face. He sighs and sits down on the couch. Wonders what he would have said if they were still talking.

He would have told her about how Fred invited him, FP and Jughead to Pop's. That he wanted to say no but didn't want to let his father down. That he desperately wished that Archie would say no. That Archie had sat as far as he could in the booth at Pop's. That he had to pretend that it didn't bother at all. That he had accidentally brushed his arm against Archie's while eating and Archie proved him wrong by moving a couple of inches farther away. That Archie had mentioned Veronica casually and Jughead almost started crying. That Fred noticed it and asked him if he was okay. That he lied that he had accidentally bit his tongue while eating. That people had left him all his life yet he had never missed anyone as much as he missed her then.

That after dinner the four of them had to sit squished against each other in Fred's truck. That he and Archie were sitting so close together that they were touching from shoulder to ankle. That Archie moved away and pretended to watch out the window for the entire ride. That he didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed that Archie moved away. That he watched Archie shamelessly for the entire ride. That Archie turned around to glare at him and he just raised an eyebrow at him and continued watching Archie. That FP and Archie jammed together in Archie's garage and he couldn't help but think of them jamming during weekends where Archie and Jughead would come home from some big city for Christmas or birthdays. That he didn't even know where that thought came from. 

He walks up again to her room and thinks of what he'll say – _‘I'll tell Betty I don't like her. I'll tell her I never liked her. I'll break her heart. I'll tell her the first time I kissed her, I imagined red flaming hair, bright hazel eyes and hands rough from pouring concrete all summer long. I'll tell her I only kissed her because he wasn't there to kiss. If that's what it takes for you to start talking with me again. I have always been a loner, I never knew to blend in with the crowd, never knew to say the right thing. I still am all of that but it's hell not talking with you. We say please and thank you at dinner. During the classes we share, you sit at the other end of the room. You never once turn my way, not even to glare at me. I failed the recent history quiz. You weren't there to help me study. You weren't there to console me afterwards. I miss talking with you, I miss your arm around mine, I miss passing notes to you, I miss the thousand inside jokes we had with each other, I miss how you used to look at me whenever something funny happened, I miss the way we had an entire conversation without talking, I miss your jokes, I miss you making my life tolerable. I don't even know where you go these days. I don't know what you do with all the time we used to spend together. You call me 'Betty's boyfriend' every chance you get. Trust me, it hurts me just as much as it hurts you. You walk into school with his hand in yours and that hurts too. Not because you are where I want you to be but because he is where I want to be. I would give him up too, if he were mine to give up, if that's what you want. Just tell me what you want me to do. I'll do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to hear you call me half your soul again.’_

"You two are still not talking?" Hermione asks, sympathetically as she catches sight of him, sulking on the couch. She looks just as pretty as her daughter, even in her Pop's uniform, even after an eight-hour shift. The same elegance and determination and fire in her eyes as her daughter. It hurts even to look at her mother. He shakes his head.  
"Everything'll be alright soon, honey." she assures him and he can only nod. 

"I'm here for Jughead Jones." a voice says halfway through his English AP class and he lifts his head up from his doodling to find Sheriff Keller looking at him, from beside his teacher, with an expression of contempt and eagerness. He turns around quickly and catches her eye. She looks just as stunned and afraid as he is.  
"Can you give me just a moment?" he asks, looking at Keller who nods. He walks across the room to her desk. Ignores the whispers and glares of his classmates.  
"You once said that have will have your lawyer bail me out if I ever get arrested. Will you still?" he asks, kneeling down beside her.  
"Of course." she says, nodding at him. "You don't worry."  
"Thank you." he says and walks to Keller. 

"You're free to leave now." Keller says, looking annoyed and disappointed and he turns to look at the clock on the wall of the police station. Less than ten minutes.  
"Okay." he breathes and dashes out of the police station. Doesn't care what they think of him.  
"Oh my god. Jughead." Betty says and hugs him tightly. Archie and Veronica turn to look at him in matching expressions of concern and relief and he thinks he's going to break down, then and there. They then look away in perfect synchronization and it breaks his heart. Hates how he broke both of their hearts and how he's already well on his way to break a third one.  
"Do you want to go to Pop's?" Betty asks him, quietly and he shakes his head.  
"Betty, why don't I drop him home? Archie can drop you home." she suggests and Betty nods.  
"I'll call you." Betty says, looking at him and walks over to Archie whose gaze never leaves Jughead's face. He knows she won't call him. Knows she's more miserable than ever. Knows neither of their hearts are really in this. Wonders why she won't say anything. Wonders why she's as much of a coward as he is. Wonders why she won't just put them both out of their misery. 

"Thank you." he says, softly, climbing into her car and she looks at him. Simply nods at him. If it had been a week ago, he would have cried into her shoulder. Or told her that he loved her. Or that she was half his soul. Or made a joke about the whole situation. But, it's not. He looks at her and it surprises him that he doesn't know what she's thinking. 

_‘When did we end up like this? We used to finish each other's sentences. Now, you won't even talk to me. You told me I could visit your house in New York anytime. Now, we live in the same house and you barely even acknowledge me. You woke me up once in the middle of the night to tell me about a dream you had. Now, I got arrested and you still haven't spoken a word to me. Everything's my fault. I told you I ruin everything I touch. You should have listened to me. You should have left me alone. I do not deserve you at all but I think I need you.’_

"V. Can I talk to you for a second?" Betty asks, catching her wrist in the parking lot of Pop's and she nods. Looks over to Polly who nods and waits a little distance away.  
"I don't even remember how I lived before you came here, Veronica." she says, her voice cracking. "We hadn't talked for three days and it's like I didn't even know how to function. I miss you. I wish everything could go back to how it was. I don't want to not talk to you. I don't want us to be like this anymore. Will you please just talk to me, again? At least, just say 'good morning' or 'god, this class is boring'. It doesn't even have to be a conversation. Please be my friend again, V. Even if I don't deserve it at all."  
"I- I missed you, too." she says and Betty hugs her tightly.  
"I'm sorry. For everything. And, thank you for everything you are doing for Polly." Betty says, wiping her tears away. "Walk with me to school, tomorrow?"  
"Yeah. Of course. Come on. Let's drop you home." she says and Betty takes her hand. 

"Thank you so much for letting me stay, Mrs. Lodge." Polly says, hugging her mother.  
"Of course, sweetheart." her mother says, smiling.  
"You've to take my room. I'm sorry." she says, apologetically and Polly shakes her head. 

"Veronica, you have given me a place to stay. You've shown me kindness. I don't think I can ever repay this." she says, smiling gratefully at her. "So, you and Betty, huh? I am glad that she's found someone as amazing and kind as you are. But I never thought she would get over Archie, to be honest."  
"What? No. No. Betty and I are platonic." she says, turning a bright shade of red and shakes her head. "Besides, Betty's in a relationship with Jughead."  
"Jughead as in Jughead Jones? Really?" Polly asks, looking shocked. "Wow. Okay."  
"He lives with us, by the way. Betty doesn't know. Please don't tell her." she says, pleading.  
"Jughead lives here? Why?" Polly asks, sitting down on her bed.

"It's-It's complicated." she says, sighing and Polly squeezes her hand.  
"Come on. Tell me. How much relationship drama do you think I got to hear at the Sister's?" Polly asks, grinning and she tells her the entire story. From the drive-in to the police station. "Okay. Just to summarize - You and Jughead, are, I mean, used to be half of each other's souls because he said so when he was high. He liked or likes Archie who was in a relationship with Grundy who then moved away because of my mom. Probably the only good thing she did all her life. And then Archie liked Jughead back and Jughead ran away from him because he thinks he doesn't deserve Archie. You are in love with my sister and she may like you back but then she started dating Jughead. And, you and Jughead are not talking because he's dating Betty. So, you and Archie are pretending to date. Wow, you weren't kidding when you called it complicated."  
"Yeah, I know." she says, chuckling.

"Well, my guess is that Betty thinks that if she tries hard enough to make herself love Jughead, she'll actually fall in love with him and be the perfect person everyone thinks she is; everyone wants her to be. And, I guess, he is pretending because he's scared of telling Archie that he likes him back. Pretty horrible logic if you think of it, actually." Polly says and she sighs.  
"I just miss him so much." she says and Polly wraps an arm around her. "I think I literally stopped breathing when he got arrested. Every time, he's off sleuthing with Betty, I'm terrified that he's going to end up dead too. And it's so hard having to ignore him. And, he keeps looking at me, like, I don't know, like I'm killing him. And I hate seeing him in pain even if I am the one causing it. And whenever something happens in my life, my first instinct is just 'Oh my god, I have to tell Jug' but then I remember that we don't talk anymore. And, I have no idea how he is and what he's doing these days and what's happening in his life. It's not easy not having Jughead Jones in my life and I don't know if it will ever become easier."  
"Aw, honey. Come here." Polly says, rubbing her back. "Of all the four of you, you and Jughead are the ones I am rooting for."  
"Yeah. Me too." she says, giving Polly a sad smile.


End file.
